Austria Sebastian Wolpers · CC BY-SA 3.0 at
The cut
1,026 metres, to scale.
A slice through Salzachöfen where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Eiffel Tower · 330 m · Burj Khalifa · 828 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is. This is a narrow canyon: the published depth, where there is one, is the better figure.
1,026m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
11.2km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
48°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
464m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
12 °C warmer at the bottom.
In July the afternoon reaches 25 °C on the floor, against 14 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are in September. The rim freezes at night from October to May. The wettest months are from June to August: in a narrow canyon a flash flood arrives without warning, even from rain upstream.
- 4°-7°Jan
- 5°-6°Feb
- 10°-2°Mar
- 16°4°Apr
- 20°8°May
- 24°12°Jun
- 25°14°Jul
- 25°14°Aug
- 20°9°Sep
- 16°5°Oct
- 10°-1°Nov
- 6°-6°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Valley in Salzburg, Austria
Salzachöfen is a slot canyon in Austria, cut by the Salzach river. The relief model measures 1,026 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 1,791 m to the higher one. Rim to rim it is 11 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Obergäunearest town · 1.9 km in a straight line
- Parking 310 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 0.5 km from the floor
- Salzburg Airport (SZG)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 28 km in a straight lineCar hire at SZG airport (Salzburg)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- In Septemberbest months to hike (estimate)
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
The river
The Salzach runs highest from May to September.
The Salzach carries about 72 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from May to September.
- 17 m³/sJan
- 32 m³/sFeb
- 81 m³/sMar
- 86 m³/sApr
- 124 m³/sMay
- 150 m³/sJun
- 156 m³/sJul
- 160 m³/sAug
- 120 m³/sSep
- 70 m³/sOct
- 24 m³/sNov
- 12 m³/sDec
From about 12 m³/s in the lowest month to 160 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 3,098 km².
Follow the Saalach from source to mouth on Riveryas
Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
6 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 24 × 24 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 11viewpoints within 5 kmDom and 10 more
- 10marked hiking routes within 4 kmArnoweg (Kalkberge West), AV Weg 451 (Göll Überschreitung), AV Weg 458 (Verbundsteig Nord) and 7 more
- 3climbing crags within 3 kmKleiner Pass Lueg, Klettergarten Pass Lueg, Kleiner Pass Lueg Klettergarten
- 8footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
- 2caves within 3 km
- 68car parks within 3 km
- 3information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 14bus stops within 2 km
- 3campsites within 8 kmCamping Martina, Torrener Hof, Wohnmobilpark Aqua Salza
- 31hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmGoldener Ochs, Stallerbauer, Golingen and 28 more
- 27restaurants and cafés within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
- named waterfalls within 4 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Obergäu1.9 km in a straight line
- Scheffau am Tennengebirge2.5 km in a straight line
- Golling an der Salzach3.2 km in a straight line
- Kuchl6.6 km in a straight line
- Georgenberg7.1 km in a straight line
- Taugl7.9 km in a straight line
- Bad Vigaun11 km in a straight line
- Werfen11 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Salzachöfen.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Cascadyas2 waterfalls nearbyComing soon
Peakyas103 mountains within 15 km
Lakeyas1 lakes within 15 kmComing soonFigures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 4 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 6 |
| Afternoon · rim | -7 | -6 | -2 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 5 | -1 | -6 |
| Night · rim | -15 | -15 | -11 | -7 | -2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | -1 | -5 | -9 | -13 |
| Rain (mm) | 90 | 72 | 89 | 85 | 151 | 176 | 184 | 184 | 135 | 102 | 76 | 82 |
| Rainy days | 13 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 |
| Sun hours/day | 3.0 | 4.5 | 5.2 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 5.1 | 4.5 | 2.8 | 2.4 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 29 | 28 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 20 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | -7 | -15 | 90 | 3.0 |
| Feb | 5 | -6 | -15 | 72 | 4.5 |
| Mar | 10 | -2 | -11 | 89 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 16 | 4 | -7 | 85 | 5.7 |
| May | 20 | 8 | -2 | 151 | 5.5 |
| Jun | 24 | 12 | 2 | 176 | 6.4 |
| Jul | 25 | 14 | 4 | 184 | 7.0 |
| Aug | 25 | 14 | 3 | 184 | 6.5 |
| Sep | 20 | 9 | -1 | 135 | 5.1 |
| Oct | 16 | 5 | -5 | 102 | 4.5 |
| Nov | 10 | -1 | -9 | 76 | 2.8 |
| Dec | 6 | -6 | -13 | 82 | 2.4 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (464 m) and the rim (2,254 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Photographs
Seen from the trail.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 56% | 197% | 92% | 67% | 97% | 128% | 136% | 146% | 137% | 167% | 37% | 121% |
| 2021 | 102% | 57% | 94% | 74% | 124% | 64% | 131% | 135% | 61% | 48% | 146% | 125% |
| 2022 | 77% | 133% | 22% | 113% | 101% | 113% | 90% | 86% | 131% | 99% | 124% | 75% |
| 2023 | 76% | 104% | 126% | 182% | 108% | 55% | 116% | 150% | 36% | 94% | 282% | 207% |
| 2024 | 88% | 111% | 99% | 120% | 114% | 148% | 99% | 89% | 209% | 110% | 34% | 92% |
| 2025 | 51% | 36% | 126% | 58% | 102% | 81% | 154% | 76% | 92% | 87% | 115% | 25% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Salzachöfen
Austria
- 1,026 mDepth
- 11 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 48°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q1681962) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| River flow and basin | HydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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